After experimenting with a dozen different designs I have developed an inexpensive yet structurally sound system. This involves the use of fiberglass, epoxy resins, and wood; using the right epoxy formulas are crucial to structural and chemical integrity. I design my systems using 1″ fittings and special redundancies for indefinite operation; next to no upkeep as the system runs like a nuclear reactor for years providing food.

Nitrate Reactor

Detailed construction

The importance of basic engineering concepts come into play during this stage. I decided to reinforce the sides of the tanks with a “belt” made from epoxy reinforced 2x stock. After assembly the belt was hammer-drilled with 3/4″ lag bolts, tightening the belt around the sides.

Pre-glass

After going through a 130 degree F heat cure and a post cure the units are ready for employment.

380 gallons – 1,400 liters

A great degree of prudence when into the design of these systems. Once installed, it would have to operate reliably for several years with no maintenance. Eliminating bottlenecks such as debris concentrations, potential clogs, and oxygen “dead zones” was my primary intent.

5 Responses to My research with Aquaponics.

i really like the concept of maintenance free….are you using solar power? If you’d like to join our community—I think you’d enjoy discussing designs with other innovators on our University network at http://www.aquaculturehub.org.

Hey there, ran across your blog on google and thought we might be able to help each other out. I’ve got an aquaponics Kickstarter that might be interesting for your readers to see and if you write about it I’ll post a link to your blog in our description. What do you think? You can check us out here: http://bit.ly/LiveLocalOrganic